Cigarette making device



July 10, 1934.

e.- H. LAWRENCE 1,965,706

CIGARETTE MAKING DEVICE Filed March 3, 1933 A549 f6 22 3? 2 P Q 5: FA 0 I 4 FE 1 I gram; G. l7. LAWRENCE.

Patented July 10, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE CIGARETTE MAKING DEVICE George H. Lawrence, Portland, Oreg; ApplicationMarch 3, 1933, Sam No. 659,523

" 4 Claims. (01. 131-51 This invention relates to improvements in cigarette forming appliances, and it has for its principal object the provision of a device of simple and practicable construction and of compact size that may be carried handily in the pocket for forming cigarettes of true shape and desired degree of firmness and which may be utilized by anyone without previous practice.

Other objects and advantages residing in the invention, and objects relating to details of construction and various arrangements of parts thereof, will be apparent in the course of the detailed description to follow.

The accompanying drawing illustrates by way of example a representative form of the invention, in which:

- Figure l is a plan view of a cigarette forming appliance embodying my invention. 7

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a View in side elevation with a side wall removed.

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation with a wall partly broken away and showing the device in operation. v

Fig. 5 is a detached view in inner side elevation of one of the side walls of the device.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the compacting-block, detached.

Fig. 7 is a similar View of and connecting parts.

Fig. 8 is an end view of the same.

Referring to said views, the reference numerals 1 and 2 indicate the two opposite side walls of the body of my device connected rigidly by a bottom plate 3 which may be turned up at the rear 4 and extended over the forward ends of the walls in straps 5 to make a light, and strong construction. Adjacent the forward ends of said walls aligned apertures 6 are formed to serve as bearings for a transverse shaft 7 extending beyond the wall 1 and provided on its projected end with a finger-engageable circular disk 8 and between the walls a pair of circular cam-disks 9 are spaced apart and secured to the shaft in eccentric relation. The operating disk 8 may be set upon the shaft in the same relation of eccentricity as the cams as an aid to the user in instantly discerning the position of the cams.

A compacting-block 10 is formed with longitudinally directed apertures 11 to receive said cams and by which the block is reciprocated by contact of the cams with the forward and rear surfaces of the apertures in the rotation of the shaft. The block is cut away or hollowed out on its underside, as at 12, to admit of the disposition the actuating shaft of the shaft and the movement of the block relative thereto. The block is resiliently held downwardly by'a spring-clip 13 extending forwardly from the plate 14, to be more particularly described hereinafter, and thence is directed upwardly through a slot 15 and over the block, as at 13', rearwardly where it is in engagement with yielding pressure upon the forward end of the block.

The plate 14 may overlie the bottom plate 3 at the rear and at about midway of the body is curved upwardly, as at 17, to form a concave portion of the cigarette molding form, extending to about one-half of the diameter of the cigarette. Thence forwardly the plate is curved downwardly at 18 to the bottom and is extended at its middle in the spring-clip 13, as described.

Spring-metal runners 19 are provided at each side of the block to slide upon the protruding portions 18 of the plate 14 and also serves to confine the shaft 7 within the hollow 12. The runners are extended about the front edges of the block and their extremities are received in slots 20 of the block.

Adjacent the rear of the side walls they are formed with longitudinally directed grooves 21 in which a mold-piece 22 is retained through projecting pins 23 upon each side which permits the mold-piece being slidably moved longitudinally of the body and tilted upwardly'at its forward end excepting that at the lower forward 'edge spaced projecting lugs 1'7 extend forwardly and enter slots 14' of the plate 14 to hold the moldpiece down while a cigarette is being formed. The forward edge is formed with a concave groove forming the rear demi-section of the mold-space and co-operating with the opposing portion 1'? of the plate 14. The interior of the mold-piece may be chambered, as at 24, to serve as a match receptacle into which matches may be introduced and ejected through a hole 25.

26 indicates a lock-bar of cylindrical form having studs 2'? on opposite ends received in grooves 28 in the side-walls, the grooves 28 being formed with downwardly directed portions 29 at their forward ends into which the studs 2'7 may drop when the mold-piece is moved to its foremost, operative position and thus lock the mold-piece by the engagement of the studs against the shoulders 30.

The operation of my cigarette forming device may be described as follows: With the device assembled in the manner described and with the mold-piece advanced and locked by the bar 26 while the block 10 is held in its inoperative position as indicated in Fig. 3, a cigarette-paper P is positioned in the \mo1d-space between the curved portions 17 and the groove 22' of the mold-piece so that the edges of the paper will project abovesuch portions to about an equal extent. Tobacco is then poured evenly in the trough thus formed by the paper and the user gives the disk 8 a partial turn to cause the camdisks 9 to advance the compacting-block 'to engage the forwardly projecting edge of the paper and roll it over upon the tobacco at the same time compacting the tobacco and slightly rotating the partially formed cigarette. The rear projecting edge of the paper may then be moistened by the tongue of the user and the block retracted and advanced upon the cigarette repeatedly forias many times as may be necessary, the cigarette turning slightly in the mold-space at each stroke of the block. WVhile the efiect of the block upon the cigarette is automatic in its nature'the direct action maybe varied somewhat by the'operator by a slight manipulation of the block through pressure exerted through the thumb of the left hand whilethe, right hand actuates the disk 8. Due to the, resilient and: practically free engagement ofthe block within the body and its suspension upon the shaft'pressure exerted upon the block to the rear of the shaft will cause the for: ward engaging end of the block to lift slightly or it may be held down more firmly than by the pressure of the spring-clip, if desired. Normally the engagement of the runners 19 with the top of the plate-portion 17 serves todirect the front engageable portion of the block properly upon the cigarette though if more or less tobacco is used than is; usual slight adjustment by pressure as described may be advantageously employed On the completion of the cigarette the lock-bar 26 may be disengaged and the mold-piece tilted up, as seenin Fig. 2', whereupon the formed cigarette may be readily removed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, is:

body including a bottom and opposing side walls, aplate secured to said body forming a portion of a mold-space, a movable mold-piece defining a portion of the mold-space, and providedwith studs which are slidable in grooves in said side walls, a lock-bar to secure the mold-piece in operativeposition, a block reciprocatively mounted 'rette.

1. A cigarette making appliance, consisting of a in said body to enter the mold-space and guided by said plate to engage the cigarette materials in the mold-space and compact and close the same, and means to actuate said block. I

2. A cigarette making appliance, consisting of a frame, a movable mold-piece co-operative with a portion of said frame to define a mold-space to receive the materials for making a cigarette, a compacting-block having apertures therein and reciprocable' into said mold-space to engage said materials to compact and roll them into cigarette form, a transverse shaft, and a plurality of cams receivable in the apertures in said block and actuated by said shaft to reciprocate said block.

3. A cigarette making appliance, consisting of a body having opposing side walls, a plate secured in the body forming a portion of a moldspace, amovable mold-piece slidable in said Walls and defining a portion of said mold-piece, means to lock said mold-piece in operative posi- .tion,'a compacting-block having apertures therein and movable into saidimold-space and guided by said plate, means for yielding'ly-retaining said block in engagement with said plate, a rotatable shaft mounted in said side walls, and a plurality of disks eccentrically mounted-on said shaft and received in the apertures in saidblock for actuating the block in reciprocative movements to engage the cigarette materials to form the ciga- 4. A cigarette making appliance, consisting or a bodyhavingopposing side walls, a plate secured in the body defining a portion of a mold space in which the cigarette is formed, a movable moldpieceslidably and'tiltablymounted in'said side walls, means to lock said mold-piece in opera,- tive position, a compacting-block having apextures therein and movable into said moldespace and guided by said plate,means to yieldingly retain said block in engagement with said plate, a rotatable shaft mounted in said side walls and extending medially through "said -block' to serve as a fulcrum whereby the block may be-rocked by manual pressure exerted by the operator, and a plurality of disks eccentrically'mountedon said shaft and received in the apertures in said block for actuating the block inreciprocative movements to engage the cigarette materials-to form the cigarette. I, I g H GEORGE- H. LAWRENCE. 

